u    </ 


5.15 


DOCUMENTS  DEPT.  / 


U.S.  DEPOSITORY 


Hawaii  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 


HONOLULU. 


J.  G.  SMITH,  Special  Agent  in  Ch, 


PRESS  BULLETIN  No.  15^5    MOV 
LIME  AN  ESSENTIAL  FACTOK  IN  FOEA^^^V/ 

By  EDMUND  C  SHOREY, 
Chemist,  Hawaii  Experiment  Station,  United  States  Department  of  Agriculture. 


The  scientific  feeding  of  live  stock  is  to  so  feed,  that  the 
purpose  for  which  the  animal  is  reared  or  kept  is  accomplished 
without  waste  of  nutrient  material.  When  a  ration  is  so  com- 
pounded that  this  result  is  obtained,  the  ration  is  said  to  be 
balanced.  In  balancing  rations  consideration  has  for  the  most 
part  been  given  to  the  ratio  between  the  protein  on  the  one 
hand  and  the  carbohydrates  and  fat  on  the  other.  These  are 
food  ingredients  proper.  They  furnish  heat  and  energy,  as 
well  as  replace  the  waste  of  th&  body.  In  addition  to  these, 
certain  inorganic,  or  ash,  ingredients  are  necessary  for  animal 
life  or  growth.  Among  these  the  most  important  are,  phos- 
phorus, sulphur,  lime,  iron  and  potash. 

In  the  course  of  analysis  of  a  number  of  Hawaiian  grown 
fodders1  it  was  found  that  many  contained  so  little  lime  that 
it  would  be  impossible  for  an  animal  to  eat  enough  to  obtain 
what  is  usually  recognized  as  the  requisite  amount  of  this  ash 
ingredient. 

This  lack  of  lime  in  many  of  our  grasses  and  forage  plants 
no  doubt  explains  the  failure  to  obtain  the  best  results,  which 


1  These    analyses    will  be    published    in  full  as   Bulletin    No.  13  of  the 
regular  series  of  this  Station. 


sometimes  follows  the  feeding-  of  what  is  otherwise  a  properly 
balanced  ration. 

The  Function  of  Lime  in  the  Plant. —  The  role  which  lime 
plays  in  plant  life  is  not  very  well  understood.  It  is  usually 
absent  from  young1  tissues,  and  is  found  for  the  most  part 
in  the  walls  of  adult  cells,  where  it  is  present  in  organic 
combination.  It  may  also  be  present  as  a  by-product  as 
crystals  of  oxalate  of  lime  deposited  in  the  cells.  The 
higher  plants -cannot  develop  normally  without  lime,  and  for 
this  reason  it  is  regarded  as  being  necessary  for  plant  life. 

Function  of  Lime  in  the  Animal. — Lime  forms  an  essential 
part  in  the  bones  of  animals  and  it  is  abundant  in  milk.  More 
than  2%  of  the  live  weight  of  a  full  grown,  well  fed  steer  is 
lime.  Cows'  milk  contains  more  lime  than  does  limewater,1 
generally  in  excess  of  0.15%.  Lime  constitutes  about  20%  of 
the  ash  of  milk,  and  generally  more  than  1.5%  of  the  total 
solids. 

A  lack  of  lime  in  food  will  result  in  improper  bone  develop- 
ment in  the  growing  animal.  This  impaired  development  of 
the  bony  skeleton  will  of  course  react  on  the  general  growth 
of  the  animal,  and  the  purpose  for  which  the  animal  is  fed, 
whether  it  be  the  production  of  beef  or  milk  or  of  work,  will 
not  be  attained.  In  extreme  cases  a  diseased  condition  of  the 
body  may  result. 

Sources  of  Lime. —  Lime  enters  the  animal  body  both  in  food 
and  drink.  All  flowering  plants  contain  some  lime,  as  do  all 
natural  waters.  Surface  waters,  however,  in  Hawaii,  except 
in  coral  formations,  contain  but  small  amounts  of  lime  or 
other  mineral  ingredients.  Whether  lime  in  the  form  of  pure- 
ly mineral  salts  such  as  carbonate  or  sulphate  present  in  water, 
is  as  good  a  source  of  lime  for  the  animal  as  the  organic  com- 
bination present  in  plants,  is  not  known.  In  fact  the  whole 
question  of  the  needs  of  animals  for  mineral  food  stuffs  has 
been  neglected,  and  published  analyses  for  the  most  part,  give 
the  total  ash  without  any  consideration  of  its  composition. 

Lime    Varies    in    Foods. — The  variation  in  the  lime  content 

1  Lime  water  is  a  saturated  solution  of  lime  in  water.  At  80°  F.  such 
a  solution  will  contain  about  0.09%  lime. 


of  materials  used  for  human  food  is  shown  by  the  following- 
figures: 

100  lbs.  dry  material  Contain  lbs.  lime. 

Beef 0.029 

Wheat 0.065 

Potato 0.100 

Egg  albumen 0.130 

Peas 0.137 

Human  milk 0.243 

Yolk  of  egg 0.380 

Cows'  milk 1.510 

In  fodder  plants  and  materials  the  variation  is  quite  as  wide. 
There  are  three  factors  which  influence  this  variation  which 
should  be  considered  in  this  connection: 

I.  Different  species  of  plants  growing  under  the  same  con- 
ditions have  the  power  of  taking  up  from  the  soil,  and  incorpo- 
rating in  the  plant  tissues  different  amounts  of  inorganic  sub- 
stances. As  an  example  of  this,  sorghum  and  alfalfa  growing 
side  by  side  were  found  on  analysis  to  contain: 

Sorghum  Alfalfa 

Potash 0.41  0.84 

Lime 0.05  0.45 

Phosphoric  Acid 0.15  0.30 

II.  Plants  of  the  same  species  grown  upon  different  soils 
may  contain  different  amounts  of  ash  ingredients.  If  an  ash 
ingredient  is  present  in  the  soil  in  a  soluble  form,  in  large  ex- 
cess over  the  needs  of  the  plant,  the  plant  tissues  will  contain 
an  excess  of  this  ingredient.  A  marked  example  of  this  was 
noted  in  comparing  sisal  fiber  from  Sisal  Plantation  with  that 
from  the  Experiment  Station.  The  total  ash  in  each  was 
approximately  the  same.  In  the  case  of  the  fiber  from 
Sisal  Plantation  where  the  soil  is  disintegrated  coral,  40%  of 
the  ash  was  lime,  while  in  that  from  the  Experiment  Station, 
where  the  soil  contains  less  than  Y/c  lime  the  amount  was  but  7%. 

III.  Different  parts  of  the  same  plant  contain  different 
amounts  of  ash  ingredients.  In  other  words  the  mineral  matter 
taken  from  the  soil  becomes  localized  in  the  plant.  Seeds  are 
rich  in  phosphorus,  leaves  and  straw  in  potash,  old  mature 
cells  richer  in  lime  than  growing  parts. 

Amount  of  Lime  necessary. — It  has  been  found  that  to  main- 
tain full  grown  oxen  the  fodder  should  contain  0.10  lb.  of  lime 


per  day.  In  the  case  of  milch  cows  a  yield  of  20  lbs.  of  milk 
would  contain  0.03  lb.  lime,  and  from  this  it  may  be  concluded 
that  approximately  the  amount  of  lime  required  by  milch  cows 
is  0.13  lb.  per  day. 

The  food  capacity  of  an  average  cow  or  steer  may  be  taken 
as  approximately,  100  lbs.  of  green  fodder  per  day.  Among 
the  fodder  samples  analyzed,  a  large  number  were  found  to 
contain  so  small  an  amount  of  lime  that  in  order  to  obtain  0.13 
lb.,  the  animals  would  have  to  eat  green  fodder  much  in  excess 
of  100  lbs.  per  day. 

Fodders  Loiv  in  Lime. — The  following  examples  will  suffi- 
ciently illustrate  this: 

Sample  %  Lime  Lbs.  green  fodder  necessary  to 

^  furnish  0.13  lb.  Lime. 

Sorghum   (4) 0.05 260 

Cane  Tops         0.01 1300 

'l     (2) 0.04 325 

Para  Grass 0.06 216 

"     0.08 162 

11     0.09 144 

Kaffir  Corn ...  0.01 1300 

"     .. 0.04 325 

Millet 0.04 325 

Cassava  Root 0.07 185 

11       0.04 325 

Panicum  crus-galli.  .  .  .0.02 650 

Hilo  Grass 0.08 162 

Buffalo  Grass 0.06 216 

Pilipiliuli 0.02 650 

Kukaipua    •  •    •  • 0.06 216 

Eleusine  indica 0.04 325 

A  number  of  samples  of  grasses  both  wild  and  cultivated, 
were  found  to  contain  lime  in  excess  of  these  figures.  One 
sample  of  sorghum  contained  0.15%.  Guinea  grass  (2  samples) 
0.22  and  0.17%.  Manienie  or  Bermuda  grass,  0.14%.  Paspalum 
dilitatum  (2  samples)  0.10  and  0.12%.  Pili  grass  0.26%.  While 
too  few  samples  have  been  analyzed  to  warrant  making  any 
general  statement  as  to  average  composition,  there  are  suffi- 
cient data  to  warrant  the  conclusion  that  forage  plants  of  the 
grass  family  grown  in  Hawaii,  are  low  in  lime;  some  extreme- 
ly so. 

Among  the  concentrated  fodders  used  to  increase  the  amount 
of  protein  in  the  ration,   many  are  low  in  lime.     A  sample  of 


bran  was  found  to  contain  but  0.07%  of  lime,  requiring-  200  lbs. 
per  day  to  give  the  required  amount.  Rice  bran,  (two  samples) 
contained  0.15  and  0.08%  respectively.  Cocoanut  meal,  0.08%. 
Barley  contains  0.05  to  0.10%.  It  is  easily  seen  from  these 
figures  that  these  concentrates  in  the  amounts  used  to  balance 
a  ration,  cannot  make  up  any  deficiency  of  lime  in  a  sorghum  or 
grass  ration. 

Fodder  Material  High  in  Lime. — Among  green  fodders  the 
legumes  are  decidedly  higher  in  lime  content  than  the  grasses. 
Two  samples  of  alfalfa  were  found  to  contain  0.45  and  0.41% 
respectively.  Spanish  clover  (Meibomia  uncinata)  0.19%  and 
Meibomia  triflorum  0.70%.  Algaroba  beans  (two  samples) 
contained  0.28  and  0.34%  respectively.  Two  samples  of  alga- 
roba seeds  alone,  contained  1.00  and  1.10%. 

Among  miscellaneous  fodder  materials  furnishing  lime,  may 
be  mentioned  dried  brewers  grains  with  0.25%,  linseed  meal 
0.40%  and  waste  molasses.  The  lime  content  of  waste  molasses 
is  quite  variable  and  it  is  not  possible  to  state  the  average 
amount  present.  Two  samples  of  molascuite  or  sugar  bran 
made  from  such  molasses,  contained  0.87  and  1.00%. 

Conseqiiences  of  Feeding  a  .Ration  Deficient  in  Lime. — The  re- 
sults which  follow  a  lack  of  lime  in  the  fodder  have  been  al- 
ready outlined  but  it  is  desired  to  emphasize  particularly  one 
point;  the  relation  of  lime  to  milk  production.  Experimental 
data  are  lacking  on  this  point,  but  physiological  considerations 
point  to  the  conclusion,  that  the  amount  of  lime  in  the  fodder 
may  very  easily  be  the  limiting  factor  in  milk  production. 

The  amount  and  composition  of  the  ash  in  the  fluids,  blood, 
milk,  etc.,  of  an  animal  body  are  remarkably  constant.  There 
is,  in  health,  a  constant  adjustment  of  the  distribution  of  the 
mineral  ingredients,  and  any  wide  variation  from  the  normal 
ash  composition  of  the  fluids  of  the  body  is  an  indication  of 
diseased  or  abnormal  conditions.  Those  who  have  to  do  with 
live  stock  generally  realize  the  importance  of  lime  to  the  young 
growing  animal  in  furnishing  bone  material,  but  many  do  not 
realize  the  comparatively  large  amount  of  lime  in  milk.  This 
high  lime  content  is  of  course  really  a  provision  of  nature  to 
meet  the  needs  of  the  young  animal. 

There  is  abundant  evidence  to  prove  that  the  lime  content 
of  cows  milk  does  not  vary,  except  within  narrow  limits,  even 


under  very  diverse  conditions  of  feed.  In  the  case  then,  of  a 
milch  cow  fed  a  ration  deficient  in  lime,  the  milk  secreted  still 
contains  approximately  the  same  percentage  of  lime,  and  to  meet 
the  deficiency  of  lime  in  the  food,  either  the  production  of  milk 
must  decrease  or  the  deficiency  be  made  up  from  the  tissues  of 
the  body.  In  the  latter  case  the  general  health  and  vigor  of 
the  cow  is  affected,  resulting  ultimately  in  a  decrease  in  the 
milk. 

How  to  Meet  a  Deficiency  of  Lime  in  Fodder. — In  a  general 
way  the  answer  to  this  question  is  suggested  by  the  foregoing 
statements  of  analyses.  Shortly  it  may  be  said  that  a  deficiency 
of  lime  in  fodder  may  be  met: 

1.  By  growing  a  larger  proportion  of  leguminous  crops  for 
green  fodder. 

2.  By  feeding  such  concentrates  as  algaroba  beans,  waste 
molasses  or  products  made  from  it. 

3.  By  supplying  natural  water  containing  more  lime,  or 
lime  water. 

4.  By  the  application  of  lime  or  fertilizers  containing  lime 
to  forage  crops  of  the  grass  family.  Armsby  in  his  Manual  of 
Cattle  Feeding,  recommends  the  use  of  leached  wood  ashes 
sprinkled  over  the  food. 

For  range  cattle  the  introduction  of  legumes  on  the  ranges 
or  such  grasses  as  may  be  found  to  take  more  lime  from  the 
soil,  are  the  most  obvious  remedies. 

Cases  are  on  record  in  Hawaii,  where  cattle  have  become  dis- 
eased from  the  lack  of  lime  in  grass  fodder.     When  such  con- 
ditions indicated  by  emaciation,  soft  bones,  etc.  arise,  a  veter- 
inarian should  be  consulted. 
Honolulu,  T.  H.,  January  2,  1906. 


UNIVERSITY  OF  FLORIDA 

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